[Tilley] said he was a "moderate Republican" who supported a constitutional amendment prohibiting the state from restricting any kind of stem cell research allowed by federal law.

"I don't mind that," Tilley said. "I think ethical research is good. I came to the conclusion that I support stem cell because I have two daughters. And I'll be honest with you. If one of them was sick and I think stem cells provided an opportunity - just a chance - to save them, I'd do it in a heartbeat. And beyond that, I think if you had a stem cell cure for cancer, I guarantee that people who are against stem cells would be happy to take the cure."

Fred Sauer of the St. Louis-based Missouri Roundtable for Life, issued a news release after Wednesday’s vote, complaining “Late (Tuesday) night while Missourians were sleeping, the state Senate refused to add language to MOSIRA that would protect Missouri tax dollars from going to abortion, human cloning, and embryo-destructive experimentation.

“And now (Wednesday), the Senate passed this same bill that threatens to force our state’s citizens to pay for the destruction of human life.”